NEW BRITAIN, Conn. -- DeMario Anderson scored 21 points and freshman point guard Tristan Blackwood contributed nine assists to power Central Connecticut past Colgate 87-70 in a Mohegan Sun Classic semifinal Friday.
Anderson shot 9-13, including 3-4 from behind the three-point arc. Though Blackwood scored only eight points he was an asset with nine assists and just two turnovers.
Central finished 9-17 on three-point shots.
Kyle Roemer and Andrew Zidar each scored 17 points for Colgate (0-1). The Blue Devils (1-0) play Samford, a 69-57 winner over Cal State Fullerton, in the title game Saturday.
Central, which trailed 11-4, bounced back to hold a 44-32 halftime advantage.
The Blue Devils were 6-10 on three-pointers, with Justin Chiera being the chief shooter (3-4).
In the first half, Anderson's 15 points paced the Blue Devils. Colgate, from the Patriot League, shot only 42 percent (13-31), and its defense created only five turnovers from Central.
The Blue Devils, from the Northeast Conference, found many seams in Colgate's assortment of defenses and shot 56 percent (18-32).
